Old Curses Mardi Gras
by s.j. snodgrass
Summary: A few months after Xmen 3, Rogue's powers return. Guilt-ridden,she breaks up with Bobby and accepts Logan's offer to take her to New Orleans in time for Mardi Gras. She meets up with a stranger who will help her forget her pain. For a night. Rogue/Remy
1. Chapter 1

"Bobby, I…"

**A/N: So I've always wanted to do a sequel of sorts to Xmen 3, and here it is. I hope you like it, and review if you do. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Xmen, it belongs to Marvel and all the other people that have worked on it. **

"Bobby, I…"

She what, Rogue wondered as Bobby began kissing down her jaw toward where her shirt opened. She moaned, letting her head fall back and trying to lose herself in his kisses. After all, this should be all she wanted. It had been a long time since she had been able to lose herself in a kiss. Being untouchable was hard to live with, and she had had first hand experience. Her current boyfriend, Bobby, had been more than patient with her, and she was able to forgive his less-than-subtle flirting with Kitty because at the end of the day, he wanted her, and she wanted him. And for her, that was a rare find.

Then they had created "the cure". It had been months since its discovery, and the loss of the Professor, and Scott, and many others… Yet she was happy. With her powers gone, she was finally able to reward Bobby for all his patience and yet….something felt wrong.

"Please, just wait." She breathed as his tongue ran over her collar bone. He tried to stifle a sigh, though it escaped as more of a strangled gasp as he pulled away.

"Marie, I thought…Isn't this what you've wanted?" He asked. He was confused, and she had to admit, he looked so darn cute when he was confused, and it almost made her forget her nervousness. Almost.

"It is. I do want this but…maybe we should wait a little longer. I mean, I know you've waited for a long time, and so have I, but these last few months, of just kissing and touching have been more than I thought I could ever have again." Oh no, she already could see a sort of wall going up behind his eyes and a frown creasing his face. "Besides," She scrambled for a joke to make him happier, "If Logan smells you on me, he'll flip. You know that." She giggled, but he just moved off of her.

Her smile faded. "Bobby…"

He looked back up at her, and he was smiling kindly as he took her hands in his. "Its okay, isn't it? I think I understand how you feel. I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer, right?"

Her heart swelled and her smile returned. She just stared at him, feeling his hand on her bare one, and then she pushed her apprehension away just as she proceeded to push him back down onto the bed.

His eyes widened. "But Marie…"

She put a finger over his lips. "Shh….just let me do this, okay?" She straddle him and in one swift motion pulled her shirt over her head. He reached up to pull her down to him. He kissed her long and deeply, and when she took a breath, her lips tingling with the cold of it. She kissed him back with a fierceness of her own that rivaled his. Her hands, once cursed to hurt those she cared for, found themselves fumbling with his shirt. He tugged it off, and she watched in fascination as her fingers splayed themselves over his muscled chest.

He reached to unclasp her bra, and she guided his hands to it. Then he froze, and it had nothing to do with ice. She was so deep into the kiss she didn't notice the veins beneath his skin expanding and pulling to the surface. She didn't notice his strangled gasps as she kissed her way to his navel. What she _ did _notice was that her kisses were leaving an icy trail.

She looked up. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. She screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

No one even reprimanded her for being shitless with a boy in his room, she thought wryly as she watched the beeping machines a

No one even reprimanded her for being shitless with a boy in his room, she thought wryly as she watched the beeping machines and whirring computer screens from the other side of the glass. Bobby looked sallow under the light of the lab room. No one had said a word about them attempting to have sex. Doctor McCoy and Storm had panicked about Bobby, and once he was attended to and they had assured Rogue he would be fine, they had started contacting the government. They thought that all the other mutants that had taken the cure would need to know before it was too late. Before they did what she had done.

But no one had been there to warn her. No, she had to be the martyr, like always, and she was sick of.

She shook her head. She had been brooding like this for a while, and everyone had just given her space, whether from fear or understanding she wasn't sure. She was happy it gave her time to think, but it also opened the path for the dark thoughts of anger and self-loathing to enter.

She took one last look at her boyfriend, then she got up and turned to go. Out of the near wall Kitty appeared, carrying a tray of food. When she saw Rogue her eyes grew wide and the tray phased threw her hands. Rogue grabbed it in time, noticing with a flinch that she had caught it with a stream of ice, a lingering reminder of what she had done.

Kitty stared for a moment before scrambling to get the tray, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous habit Rogue had picked up on.

"Umm…yeah, hi. I was just, you know, taking Bobby his dinner. Is he sleeping, or something? Because I'm sure he'd like to know you visited him. He always talks about you and has been wondering why you weren't around…" Kitty babble, shifting the tray form one hand to the other.

Rogue couldn't help but smile. Hell, she couldn't help but like Kitty. Even though the thought's in Bobby's head had not been devoid of fantasies of Kitty as well as herself. But Kitty was just likeable, and her crush on Piotr was just too cute.

"Yeah, well, why don't you wake him up, feed him, and I'll come back in a little bit?" After all, Rogue couldn't be bitter about Kitty's job as Bobby's waiter. She herself had turned down the job after hearing he was awake, because she had been afraid to be around him.

Kitty agreed, through another string of babbling, and was phasing through to the lab when Rogue turned to leave.

Upstairs she could hear Storm still on the phone with the top-notch scientists that had worked on the cure, and Dr. McCoy pleading with the media for them to produce a story on the inefficiency of the cure.

Rogue guessed the reason nobody was willing to accept this yet was because of fear. After all, many mutants thought themselves cured for good. And what of Magneto? How long until he realized he still had his powers? God, it was just too much to deal with. The Professor should be here. She needed a drink. Beer, preferably, but tea would have to do in the institute.

She padded into the kitchen, her bare feet slapping on the tile as she gathered the tea and put the kettle on the stove.

"Hey kid."

She whirled to see Logan sitting at the kitchen counter, a beer in hand.

The first thing out of her mouth was, "Where did you get that?"

He raised an eyebrow before smiling. "If I told you, that would mean less for me. And you're only eighteen." He said.

She returned his smile. Since she had met him, he had always been the only one who could really cheer her up when she was upset, more so than Bobby even could.

She stood there, and they were in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable. Silence with her and the other students was uncomfortable. Silence with Logan was fine. And understanding. Almost therapeutic. Oh, Logan silence, how she had missed you lately. She was thoroughly beginning to enjoy it when the kettle began to whistle.

She took it off quickly, pouring herself a cup. She looked over at Logan and, as if reading her mind, he looked up and shook his head. She shrugged, turned off the stove, and sat down with her cup in hand.

She took a small sip, testing the heat. Then she sipped some more. "You know, it wasn't your fault."

She nearly spit out her tea at his words, grabbing for a napkin to dab at her lips with. When she had recovered she met his gaze. "Why does everyone keep saying that? Yeah, it was. Sure, I thought my powers were gone, but it was them that got him hurt, and I was the one who could barely stop before…Before I killed him." It took a lot of strength to admit that, but she had brooded about it for long enough. And if she was going to tell anyone it was going to be Logan.

He looked her over. He seemed to see her more now as an adult instead of just a kid.

"Takes a lot of courage to say something like that."

"Yeah, well, it takes a lot of courage to want to have sex with your boyfriend, too. But, well…" It was Logan's turn to spit out his drink. She couldn't help but laugh. She was sick of people treating her like a child, and for some reason upset that everyone was just ignoring the fact that she and Bobby were planning on doing it. Well, if the other adults weren't going to treat her like one of her own, she was at least going to get Logan to.

"I have to say I wasn't really expecting you to say anything about that. Usually when kids sneak around to do that they keep it to themselves." Logan said pointedly, looking away from her.

"Maybe I don't want to be "sneaking around". Maybe I don't want to be a kid. I'm eighteen, Logan, and I want to be treated like it. I would have hoped that you at least would be able to treat me like an adult and talk to me about my mistakes." She said, heat rising to her face. Whether in anger that he wasn't taking her seriously, or in embarrassment that she had just told _Logan_ what she was doing with Bobby, she wasn't sure.

He met her eyes again, appraising her. Then he smirked. "You want me to talk to you about it? Fine. I'll tell you something. Next time I see that kid up and walking, I'm gonna stab him in the balls."

Rogue laughed. She couldn't help it. Logan was probably the only one that could make her laugh at the prospect of her boyfriend being castrated.

They laughed together before they descended into silence. Eventually Rogue cleared her throat and looked up at the clock. "Well, I need to go see Bobby." She said, getting up to put her cup in the dishwasher.

"You make it sound like a chore." Logan commented, tossing his beer into the trash.

"Yeah, well…" Then she saw it: His old, worn duffel bag sitting innocently by his feet. "You're leaving." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Yeah. I'm headed for New Orleans. Got some stuff to take care of." He said.

Rogue's mind wandered, "Mardi Gras starts tomorrow."

Logan watched her, and his mind was ticking. "Hey kid, if you need to get away for a while, come with. I'd like to put as much distance between you and the Iceman as possible right now." He smiled.

Her gaze snapped back to him. She was going to accept, then she shook her head. "I'd better not. This is a mess for me to clean up, not run away from. Thanks anyway, Logan."

His smile was proud as he stood up and held his arms open to her. "Then I'll see you when I get back" He said. She smiled back and hugged him.

A few minutes later, after saying her goodbyes to Logan, she was back in the lab. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped inside.

What she saw froze her mid step. Kitty, a shocked looked on her face, had dropped the now empty tray as Bobby leaned up to kiss her. Hearing the door, they both turned to look at her.

She barely heard them calling as she ran out the door.

Hauling her own bag, she made it outside at Logan's truck lights were lighting up the drive. He stopped the car and leaned out the window. He had a smartass comment at the ready, something like, "Miss me already, kid?" But it died on his lips when he saw the tears on her face.

"Hey," She gave him a wobbly smile. "Is your offer still available?"

**A/N: I appreciate the patience, and I promise Gambit will be in the next chapter, so keep reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So…wow

**A/N: So…wow! I go to bed at one, I get up at ten, and already fourteen reviews! Holy Shit! I never thought it would be this popular, especially in just a few hours! So thank you so much everyone who reviewed, I just wish I had the time to thank you all individually. So here's the Gambit chapter, and enjoy! Also, feel free to keep reviewing. ;)**

By the time Logan and Rogue had reached The Big Easy, it was about sundown. Party goers riddled the streets as Mardi Gras's first night was dawning. They made their way to a hotel that, surprisingly, Logan had reservations at.

"You have reservations? I thought the Wolverine just came and went as he pleased and hoped for the best." Rogue said as she and Logan jumped from his truck and gathered their bags.

"It wasn't me. It was Storm. She knows people down here, and they said that if I was going to be here during Mardi Gras, this was the best place. Believe me, kid, if it wasn't already paid for, I wouldn't be here. A hotel in the middle of the French Quarter during Mardi Gras? You've gotta be kidding me." He was still grumbling as Rogue stifled a laugh and they sauntered inside.

The man behind the shiny gold painted counter observed them as Logan dropped his duffel bag without ceremony onto the clean, freshly mopped tile floor. The man winced.

"I assume you have a reservation?" He asked haughtily. Rogue snorted, and he glared at her. There was no way he was Cajun. This man was probably from the Midwest or California. He just didn't have that Cajun accent that had made her weak at the knees when she was younger.

"Yeah. The reservation should be under a Monroe, a two bedroom suite." Logan said, leaning on the counter and taking out a cigar. "Smoking." He added.

The man sneered and aimed his face away from the smoke the cigar let out as Logan lit it. He quickly typed away on his computer and waved for a bellboy.

"Ah, yes, here is your reservation, _Sir._ And while you will be allowed to smoke in your room, I'm afraid this hotel doesn't allow smoking in here." Said the man.

Logan raised an eyebrow and looked from the man to the bellboy. Then he took his cigar out of his mouth, stared the man straight in the face, and ground it out in his hand.

"Good Lord!" The man gasped, staggering backwards. He practically threw the room card key at the two and choked out, "Room 213!"

Logan started walking away, and Rogue followed. They turned the corner, out of the man's sight, then started laughing. "You realize that man is probably scarred for life, right?" Rogue laughed.

Logan chuckled and winced as he watched the burn hole in his had heal up.

The bellboy, whom they had forgotten about, joined in their laughing and walked in front of them, guiding them to their room. Rogue noticed how, despite the fact that he was carrying two weighty bags, he wasn't using one of those shiny trolley things the other bellboys used. Both her and Logan noticed he had pointed ears. They exchanged looks, shrugged, and followed.

The bellboy lead them to the second story, where he stopped at room 213. "Here's yo' room. If ah may?" He held out his hand for the card key. Logan hesitated, then handed it to him. "Knock yourself out."

The bellboy opened their door, and gave a slight bow to Rogue as she entered first, then Logan. He followed them inside, gave them their bags, and left.

Rogue looked around. The sweet was large and beautiful. They were standing in the living room, she guessed, from the placing of the couch, coffee table, and television. On either side of them were open doors leading to two identical bedrooms. Rogue laughed out loud in delight as she picked up her bag and raced to the one on the right. She dropped her bag in the doorway and flopped down on the large Queen sized bed.

"Logan!" She shouted. "This place is amazing! How did Storm know to book a suite with two beds?" She buried her face in the pillows and squealed in delight.

Logan stood in the doorway, kicking her bag further into the room. He was watching her with an amused expression. When she looked up he averted his eyes. "She didn't know. This was just the last room they had available. So enjoy it, 'cause you got lucky, kid."

Her smile just grew and he couldn't help but smile back. This kid had been through so much, and she had every right to be the moody loner she sometimes was. But when she smiled like this, it was infectious. It was almost a shame he had to leave. And that she was only eighteen.

"Well, I gotta get going, kid. This may be a pleasure trip for you, but I got work to do. Here's your card key," He tossed one of two identical keys onto the bed, "I don't want you leaving the room unless for emergencies, understand?"

Rogue's smile ran for cover. "What?! Logan, you're going to leave me alone in a hotel room all night in New Orleans during Mardi Gras? You can't do that!"

"The hell I can't." Logan replied, but he was already feeling his resolve loosening like sand beneath his feet. "You're only eighteen, and I'm not gonna let you waltz around outside till whatever hours you keep alone."

Rogue looked at him skeptically. "Logan, I don't think I'm in any danger. I could take you out in a matter of seconds with one touch. I think that pretty much rules out all the bad things that could happen. And I'm from Mississippi, Logan. You can't keep me from going out there even if you tried."

"You're saying you won't listen to me, then?" He asked, and as much as he wanted to be mad, he couldn't help but see a little bit of himself in her just then.

"I'm not saying that." Rogue replied, trying to erase any damage she might have caused to her case in her last statement.

Logan watched for a long moment. Then he turned to leave. "What I'm saying is that I'm leaving right now. No kids are leaving with me. I'll be back around one, and if there are no kids in here when I get back, someone's in trouble." He smiled to himself as he heard her delighted shriek. He shrugged on his coat, and was out of the room before he could berate himself for giving into her so easily.

"What am I going to wear?" It was an irrational thought on her part, she had to admit, but it was there anyway. She had been forced to leave behind all the sundresses and other revealing clothes she had previously splurged on because of the return of her powers. Not only were they deadly to humans, but also to her wallet.

She didn't know why she was so concerned about her appearance tonight, but, well, despite all that had happened recently she was feeling pretty good. When she felt good, she wanted to look good. And she was having a difficult time looking good when everything she had packed she had barely looked at in her rush.

She finally settled on a black, almost embarrassingly tight tank top with a sheer green long sleeved shirt to go over it, also strangely tight. When did her clothes get so tight? Oh yeah, after she got boobs and Jubilee insisted she start buying shirts one size too small. For her pants she threw on a pair of tight fitting black jeans and her favorite black leather gloves.

She took a look at herself in the mirror and frowned. This was Mardi Gras! Something felt a miss. She tugged her hair free of the bun it was in and, after being in for a day, it made her hair a little bouncy with some natural curl she normally straightened. That was a little better. She tugged on some boots thought some more. Then she rooted around the bottom of her bag again. Ah ha! She triumphantly pulled a purple, green and gold scarf she had had for so long she didn't remember where she had gotten it. Somehow among the heartbreak and guilt she was feeling while packing she had had the common sense to bring it along.

She tied it in her hair and looked at herself again. She was, for the most part, satisfied, but something was still amiss. Then she realized what it was: Beads.

She had not Mardi Gras beads. Well, that could be fixed. She reached under her shirt to her bra, but stopped. Was this really smart? She'd be showing a lot of skin, and even though it was for only a few seconds, it could be a few seconds that meant someone's life. She warred with herself for a little longer, then she pushed the worry from her mind, yanked off her bra, and left the room. Her card key sat sadly on her bed as she left, wondering what it had done wrong.

When Rogue left the hotel, the noise was deafening. It had been years since she had been to a Mardi Gras celebration, and she had forgotten just how crazy it had gotten. She just bet Logan was kicking himself right now. (She was right, actually)

She walked carefully, making sure she didn't touch anyone, even though she was covered from head to toe. After a while, though, she didn't bother anymore. It was too much of a hassle with so many people crammed into the narrow streets of the French Quarter, and the people were safe from her toxic skin anyway.

She was enjoying herself thoroughly, watching the costumes and street displays, laughing with the other revelers. It was like one big family. One big family in masks and glittering beads and manic face paint. She laughed as one man in front of her winked, wearing pink lipstick and eyeshadow.

After about an hour of walking, she had wondered onto Bourbon street, where the real partying was taking place. She tried to look away from the plethora of nudity, but every time she turned away, she was met with another pair of breasts. In the end, she just gave up and accepted it. Dizzy from all the people, some of them dancing, she stumbled into an open doorway.

She turned around and noticed she was in a bar. It was hardly quieter in here than out here, but at least it gave her a chance to take a breath and sit down. Even if you weren't dancing or something, Mardi Gras somehow wore one out. She sat down at the bar, head in her hands for about two seconds, then she sat up and looked around the bar. Several people were dancing to the live music playing from the back of the bar, and a few couples littered across the bar were sucking each others' faces. That she had to look away from. That she could never have again.

She was interrupted when a stranger sat down beside her. He had brown hair and so many beads around his neck she almost laughed. His eyes were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses.

"Hey there. Can ah buy ya a drink?" He asked. She looked him over, hesitating. Did she really want alcohol in her system when she was alone? In the end, she decided she could use some.

"Sure. Your money, not mine." She smirked.

He smiled and ordered two beers. The bartender brought them over, his eyes scrutinizing, but he set the drinks down anyway, took the money, and walked away.

She took a long swig of her beer. Ah, that felt good.

"You're an impressive drinker, girl. Was' yo' name?" The stranger asked.

"What's yours?" She asked instead.

He stopped. "No, not til' I get yo's." He said, smiling.

She smiled back. "Then I guess you'll just be 'stranger' to me." She said. She was actually getting kind of annoyed with him. She went back to her half empty beer.

"You know, dis is a pretty town this time of year, but you make it much prettier." He told her, taking a swig of his own beer.

She gave him a look that said, "Are you really serious right now?" But she didn't say it aloud. The alcohol was taking effect as he prattled on, and she looked out the window.

"You don't want ta' be doin' that, _homme."_

It was a new voice. She turned back to her stranger to see a new man holding her stranger's hand in a tight grip, a small packet of something in her stranger's fingers.

"Who the hell are you, and why do ya give a damn? Get the hell offa me!" Her stranger shouted at the new man.

"I don't tink so. Not 'til you ask dis lovely lady if she really wanted ta' sleep wit you tonight. Though, I'm gonna take a guess an' say she didn', or you wouldn't have that little packet in yo' hand." The new man said.

It was a blur for Rogue. She didn't get a good look at the new man, but she was looking at her stranger, and it dawned on her just what he must have. Date rap drugs. Horrified, she got to her feet.

"Why you little bastard!" She heard herself saying. Maybe it was the alcohol that made her sound to angry, but it could've been the prospect of some guy trying to rape her, too. One never knew.

"I don' tink she's very pleased wit you, _homme._" The new man said, and even though Rogue wasn't looking at him, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I don't think it was much of yo' business to begin with. What I did ta' her was none o' yo' concern!" Her stranger said angrily.

That did it. She nearly yanked off her gloves, but she at least kept that in check. "Yeah?" She asked, "But it was mah business!" And she punched him. Hard, right in the nose.

The new man let go at exactly the right time, and the stranger fell off his bar stool and right onto the floor. The new man laughed, and the stranger's sunglasses fell off, revealing light brown eyes bloodshot. His nose started to bleed, and he looked at the blood in shock for a few moments.

"You little bitch!" He shouted then. The new man's laughing stopped, and he reached down to tug the stranger up by his shirt.

"You shouldn' have said dat. I was just gonna let you go wit her punishin' you, but since you disrespected dis lady, you got me ta' deal wit." Rogue barely saw the man's other hand come up to carry the stranger to the door. He threw him onto the street, much to the enjoyment of everyone else outside as they watched him stagger back to his feet.

A couple of them were saying things like, "Nice one, LeBeau!" and Rogue heard the new man's laugh again. However, she didn't stop to thanks him. She just stormed past him out of the bar, too angry for much else. She heard him call after her, but didn't stop. She didn't even get a good look at him.


	4. Chapter 4

She couldn't believe that guy's nerve

She couldn't believe that guy's nerve! Trying to sneak something into her drink. What a dick! She didn't even finish her beer, either, and it had been pretty damn good. Grr! Then, in retrospect, she probably should have stopped to thank that guy that had save-_helped _her. He seemed to be a pretty cocky guy too, but he still deserved a thank you. She had just been too angry to stop and think. Now she was alone in the heart of Bourbon street, not remembering where her hotel was. Great, she thought, all I want to do is go lay down, and I can't even do that.

"Hey lady!" She heard the call from one of the nearest balconies. She looked up and a guy with sandy blonde hair was waving some beads her way. Seeing who he was looking at, a couple of his buddies gave some cat calls and whistled, some asking her if she wanted some beads.

She folded her hands over her chest and stared up at them, raising an eyebrow and smiling despite herself. Mardi Gras, she realized, just had a way of bringing you back to a happy state no matter what you had been through.

She unfolded her arms and lifted her shirt to them, and their catcalls rose in volume. When she put her shirt down, she reached out to catch the beads they threw. She wasn't able to catch them, however, when a single strand of green, purple and gold beads went over her head, and she was pulled to someone's strong chest.

"Ya know, _Chere, _if you wanted some beads, all you had ta do was ask." A smooth Cajun voice whispered into her ear. She recognized the voice instantly as the man who had helped her at the bar.

He began to turn her to face him, and she was about to tell him to let her go, when she gasped.

Looking up, she was met with a stare she had never seen on anyone before. His eyes were red on black, and she was mesmerized. Looking back, she supposed she must have looked like an idiot gawking at him like that. That might have been why he was chuckling.

"Like what you see?" He purred. She snapped out of whatever she was in and tugged away from him. He let her go and leaned against a wall nonchalantly. "You can admit it. I won' lie ta' you. I like what I see. A little southern bell running around Bourbon Street alone. Not a smart decision. You could use a guide."

Her cheeks lit up. Yeah, she did like what she saw. A tall, well built man with long auburn hair, a bit of it hanging in his face, though unable to hide his burning eyes. And he was gorgeous to boot. That was probably why she felt so infuriated by him.

"Ah don't need any help." Whoa, the booze and her anger was really bringing out her southern accent. She needed a bit of control here. She turned to leave.

"Come on, _chere_. Let me show you around town. I promise not ta' do what dat man in dere tried ta' do. I jus' want the pleasure of yo' company fo' a while." He said.

She turned back around. "Its Rogue." She snapped. Then she froze. Why did she care? Why did she want to tell this man anything? He was just an annoying playboy, she could already tell. He wanted only what she could never give again, and hell if she was going to let him hurt her.

He just grinned back at her. "Gambit."

"Gambit." Rogue repeated, dumbstruck. So those weren't contact lenses, and his eyes were really like that. He was a mutant.

"Come on. I know a nice little café dat's still open now." Before she could protest, this man, Gambit, had grabbed her by the hand and was tugging her down the street.

She couldn't figure out what she was doing as he pulled her down streets he must know by heart, and before she knew it, She was seated in a small café with live jazz music playing in the background.

She blinked dazedly as he ordered a coffee for each of them and a piece of apple pie to share.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked angrily.

He only smiled. "I thought I was takin' a lovely lady out ta' eat. If I'm wrong, you can correct me after the pie."

She gaped at him. The nerve! The absolute nerve of him! He was infuriatingly confident and just…just… Delicious looking? Her inner voice offered. She slapped it and substituted 'delicious' for cocky.

"You thought wrong. You practically kidnapped me!" She started.

He nodded and thanked the waitress that brought the pie and coffee. He pushed the pie between them and took a drink of his coffee.

"I mean, sure, you helped me out with the guy back there, and thanks, but that doesn't give you claim on me for the rest of the evening." She continued.

"I'm listening," He said, watching her as he took the first bite of pie. "Mm" he closed his eyes. "Agnes here makes the pie in N'Orleans."

Rogue's teeth clenched. "And anyway, I don't even know who you are, and you don't know who I am, so let's say goodbye now."

"You know, you should try de pie." Gambit said.

Rogue was furious. "Haven't you been listenin', swamp rat? This ain't a date, and Ah'm leavin'." She winced at her accent and stood, leaving the café. However, when she went to pass him, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down to his lap. She opened her mouth to protest, but he stuck a forkful of pie into her mouth.

His other hand looped around her waist and she wanted to struggle, but damn that was good pie! She licked it off the fork and sucked the rest of the filling from the tongs, closing her eyes to savor it.

When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on his lap and he was wearing a triumphant smile on his face.

Her face burned and she leapt from him like he was wildfire.

"What the hell do ya think you're doin'?" She asked, staggering back.

"I did tell you dat the pie was really somethin'." Gambit replied, chuckling at her reaction.

"You…you…" Thing was, she couldn't figure out something bad enough to call him that would get her anger across. Instead, she settled for an exasperated sigh and headed for the door. She spared him a glance on her way out, and though he wasn't looking at her, he still infuriated her. He had stuck a hand into the air, and was making a countdown with his fingers, presumably the time until she came back to him. Well, it was going to be a long wait for him. She opened the door, and was greeted by two ugly smiles.

The first, and significantly smaller, was the man from the bar earlier. Only this time, he had brought a buddy. A very tall, muscular, and greasy looking buddy. "Hey there, little lady." Said the man from earlier.

He reached out to grab her, and she screamed. Across the room, Gambit was out of his seat in a split second. He squared off against the two men, wearing a smile.

"And here you still had one second left on my count." He held up the hand he was counting off on, which still had one finger up. Then he put that finger down and reached into his back pocket.

"Whoa there!" The man holding Rogue said, squeezing her neck. "No guns, no knives LeBeau. We just want to talk to the girl about her mouth. And fist. We don't need to deal with you."

"Guns? Knives? Mon Ami, I wouldn't dream of it." From his pocket Gambit pulled a deck of cards and began shuffling them, not a care in the world.

The two men began backing out of the door. "So you'll just let us go, then? Glad to see you have some common sense." Said the taller of the two.

"Let you go? Who said anything about that?" Gambit asked, and his eyes seemed to blaze brighter. "Rogue, move!" He shouted, and the picked up a single card, igniting it with a blazing pink light, and tossing it at the men.

Rogue ducked and scrambled as the man holding her let go of her and tried to push past his partner. He didn't get very far, though, before the card hit him square in the back, exploding on impact.

He flew forward, falling on his face. His partner stared at him for a moment, and in that moment Gambit had crossed the room and proceeded to plant his foot in the taller man's face. There was a sickening crack, and that man fell backward, clutching at his now broken and bleeding nose.

The first man was getting up and Gambit picked him up and hauled him to his feet. "I suggest you don' come anywhere near dat girl again, understand?" He asked. The man nodded his head and Gambit let him go. Rogue had never see someone run away faster.

She would have laughed, actually, had a large shadow not descended on her at that moment. She looked up to see the other man still coming towards her. Gambit looked up, saw what was happening, and was on the move.

Rogue, however, knew that if the fist the tall man was holding up was any indication of what he intended to do to her, Gambit wouldn't reach her in time. She had no choice.

She yanked off her glove and met his fist with her bare hand. The force of his blow never came. Instead, she watched his veins pull to the surface. Scared, she let go, and the man fell down unconscious. She looked up, and Gambit was staring at her with the most serious expression she had seen him wearing since she had met him.

Tears pricked her eyes. As annoying as he was, she kind of liked the little bit of time she had spent with him, and seeing him look at her like that was like seeing Bobby kissing Kitty again. In the distance a police siren wailed, and she turned to leave, ready to forget about this night and Gambit altogether.

She was almost over the threshold all together when Gambit caught her hand and pulled her to him. "I don' tink so, _Chere. _I'm not lettin' you get away from me that quickly. If we're runnin', we're doin' it together." And with that, he was pulling her down the streets again.


	5. Chapter 5

When Rogue was able to have a coherent thought again, Gambit had taken her a little ways from town. The were sitting on the steps of an old abandoned church, Gambit shuffling a deck of cards, his eyes blazing as he looked around. Rogue was sitting with her head in her hands.

After a few moments, Gambit moved a little closer to her. "You okay, _Chere?"_ He asked.

She looked up at him, and wished she hadn't, because she realized a single tear was gliding down her cheek. Gambit reached up to catch it, but before his bare fingers could graze her cheek she caught his hand. "No." She said.

"Rogue, I'm not goin' ta hurt you." He said, almost gently, which was a change from the Gambit she was used to.

She sighed and scooted away form him. "You may not hurt me, but I'll hurt you. You saw what I did to that big guy? Well, that's what happens every time I touch someone. My skin's poisonous." She finished in disgust.

Gambit studied her face for a long time, those beautiful yet frightening eyes freezing her to the spot. Then he picked up her gloved hand and kissed her knuckles. She flinched at his touch, but he kept hold of her hand in his.

"Yeah, I saw what you did. What you need ta' know is dat Gambit a gambler. He may not do the tings dat are best fo' his health, but he has fun doin' it, and when he's interested in sometin', he don' give up on it. You make me curious, Rogue, and I can' help dat." He said.

She wanted to believe him. She really did. But it was hard to do. Sure, she was fascinating now. Like an interesting science experiment. But once the relationship grew, the strain would grow, and everything would fall apart.

"Yeah, sure. I'm nice to look at. You just want to talk to me, be close to me, touching isn't necessary." She said, a bit more sharply than she had wanted to.

Gambit just looked at her. Then he said, "Who was it?"

"Excuse me?" She asked, looking at him.

"Someone hurt you bad, _chere. _ I can see dat already. So who was it?" She had to admit, Gambit was good.

She hesitated before replying. "My boyfriend Bobby. He cheated on me with a friend. Though maybe I deserved it. I did nearly kill him." Her tone was wry.

Gambit's eyes narrowed, and his grip on her hands tightened. "Non, Rogue, you didn't deserve it. No matter what yo' power, no one deserves ta' have dat happen to dem. So don' make yo'self out ta' be the bad guy here. You can't help yo' power, but he can help his actions. In my opinion, if you wanted ta' know it, he was a damn fool. Merde, if I had someone like you, you best believe I'd never do anythin' like that."

Rogue looked up at him. She had thought him a cocky jerk. And hell, he really was, but she would never have guessed that he had a deeper side to him.

"Wow." She laughed. "That was…really nice of you to say."

He smiled too. "You sound surprised. You din' tink Gambit capable of bein' serious?"

She tried to hold a serious face, but she couldn't. She started laughing, and soon they were laughing together.

"You know, dis is cause fo' a celebration." He said, leaping up.

"What is?" Rogue asked, watching him walking up the stairs and tapping on the bricks of the wall.

"Me, you, alive an' well. You get ta' be here wit' me, and yes, I do consider dat a treat, and I get ta' be here wit' you, an even better treat. And now I'm gonna make you fo'get about yo' old beau. Ah hah!" He pulled out a brick, reached inside, and pulled out a whiskey bottle. "I keep this here fo' emergencies, usually, but now it gets ta' be a celebratory drink."

He sauntered back to his spot beside her, though considerably closer to her than last time. He opened the bottle and took a swig. Then he handed it to her. She considered it, then she took an even bigger drink, wincing as it went down.

"Whoa. Take it easy. You got a lot ta' forget, I know, but wow." He smiled.

She groaned. "More than you know. I told you I can't touch anyone, but that's because I absorb people's life force and memories. If it's a mutant, their powers, too. And that man I absorbed at the bar…ugh. What they had planned to do to me…" She shook her head in disgust and Gambit's eyes darkened.

"You know I wouln' have let them." He said. Rogue smiled. "Even if you did, they would have gotten a nice surprise." Even though she knew she would have been fine, it still felt good to hear Gambit say that.

He leaned back on the stairs, and she found herself leaning her head on his chest. When she realized what she was doing, she quickly pulled away. She was moving away from him, but he gently pulled her back down, letting her rest her head on him. "You won't hurt me." He said quietly.

She smirked, "That's what Bobby said."

"Yeah, But I ain't Bobby. I'm Gambit. Or Remy LeBeau." He said, almost as an afterthought.

She shifted herself a bit so she could look up at the stars. "Marie." She whispered, listening to him breath. "My real name's Marie."

Gambit didn't say anything, but his hand found its way to her waist, pulling her tightly to him. His other hand held one of her gloved ones.

They both lay there, watching the stars, neither caring that they were in the arms of a complete stranger, and a potentially dangerous one at that. Rogue snuck glances at him every now and again. She had just wanted to forget men on this trip, but this man, laying here with her, was someone she didn't think she'd ever forget. She didn't care that she would probably never see him again. All she cared about was that he was the first person, other than Logan, who had held her without fear. Who had made her feel so good. Who understood and accepted her. Her only regret was that even though her body wanted him like nothing else, this was as close as she could get.

Gambit broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?" He asked.

Her real thoughts were, she had to admit, were of a very embarrassing nature, and even as she scrambled to think of something else to tell him, she realized she didn't care to lie to him.

"I'm thinking of how much I appreciate everything you've done for me tonight, and that no matter how many times I thank you, it will never be enough. And how much I wish I could touch you." She added, despite the burning in her cheeks the words created.

He chuckled, and she delighted in the rumbling noise in his chest. "You're welcome for tonight. An' I should be thankin' you fo' puttin' up wit me chasin' you around all night. I jus' couldn't leave you alone, and I tink its gonna be hard ta leave you alone later, too." He waited for a moment, and Rogue hoped he had forgotten what she had said about the touching, but no sooner had she said that little prayer, he spoke again, "And as for the touchin', you don' need bare skin ta' feel good."

Rogue's cheeks were on fire.

"For instance," He continued, and straightened himself into a sitting position, forcing Rogue to do the same. "I don' need ta' touch yo' bare skin fo' dis."

He put his hands on her shoulder and began to rub them, gently but firmly. She had to admit, the boy had magic hands. It felt so good! In fact, when she let out a little moan, she was embarrassed. He only smiled and worked his way down her back. The whiskey in her veins pushed away her nervousness. Or maybe it was something else, but she just trusted him. Maybe it was something about him.

Amazingly, the whole time he was touching her, he never touched anything that Logan would have killed him for. In fact, he was touching spots of her body she never even knew were sensitive. It was very, very nice. And when breathed from her neck to her ear to whisper a simple, "I told you so." She melted. "Don't get cocky." She gasped.

He laughed. When he stopped, she was bitterly disappointed. He was looking her in the eyes, and she just stared back. "You want to kiss me, don't you?" She said.

He didn't reply at first. He just tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, careful to avoid her skin. "You know I do." He said.

Suddenly she was angry. She blamed it on the whiskey. "Of course you do. I told you, talking is never enough!" She looked away from her, and stood up quickly. That was a bad idea. Apparently, whiskey plus anger plus standing quickly equaled dizziness. Gambit saw her swaying, and his arms were around her just in time.

"Listen, I'm not the one who asked ta' kiss you, but if you gonna ask me dat question, I'm gonna be honest. You can't blame me fo' bein' curious about what it feels like. " He said, returning her anger. Or maybe it was exasperation.

"Well, I- I…" She couldn't think of something to say. Instead, she tried to pull away suddenly, which unfortunately threw both of them onto the ground. Rogue landed on top of an irritated Gambit, and she started giggling despite herself. Soon he was laughing too.

"You know," She said between giggles. "You're really hot. I mean, really. Did you know that?"

He smirked. "I' been told that once or twice, yeah, but you are one fine woman, Rogue."

She smiled and blushed, then she remembered that she had been angry. Man, she was emotional tonight. "Too bad you can't kiss me, huh?" She said.

Gambit's eyes darkened. "Rogue…" But she cut him off. With her mouth. She wanted to blame it on her anger. She wanted to hurt him. And the whiskey was at fault too. But in the back of her mind, she also knew that she wanted him badly, despite his cockiness, his damn curiosity.

He wasted no time reacting, and he deepened the kiss quickly, crushing her to him. The kiss was beautiful, powerful. Nothing like she had felt before with Bobby. The feeling of pulling at her lips came too soon. She wanted longer. Using all of her willpower, she pulled away. His eyes were wide and they were both breathing hard.

She waited for it as she looked back at him. Waited for the walls to come up, the fear. It never came. Gambit just started laughing.

"So dat's what it feels like. Yo' somethin' else." He said.

Rogue hesitated. Something was wrong. Why wasn't he flinching away from her?

"Are you suicidal?" She gasped.

"I already told you, I'm a gambler." He replied.

She just stared at him. "You're crazy." She said. But deep down, she was singing. How was she going to let him go? "You realize this doesn't mean anything, right? It was just a kiss, 'cause you wanted to feel what it was like."

He nodded. "I know. After tonight, I'll probably never see you again." He didn't sound sad. In fact, his words were like a challenge. He wanted her to say otherwise. She didn't. She changed the subject.

She didn't know how long they lay there on the ground talking, drinking, laughing. She told him about the institute, the cure, Magneto, Logan. He told her bits of his life, but never a lot. He told her about New Orleans, how he's traveled.

Eventually she looked up at the sky and noticed it was becoming pink with dawn. She thought that was funny. Until she remembered Logan. "Oh Shit!" She shouted, sitting up quickly.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "Do you have the time?" Rogue asked.

He pulled a cell phone from his pocket. "Five forty-five." He said, yawning.

"Damnit! Logan!" She leapt up, suddenly more sober than she had been all evening. "Why couldn't you tell me what time it was earlier?" She demanded.

He shrugged. "You never asked. Logan, the guy yo' here wit? He give you a curfew?"

"Yeah, and thanks to you I missed it by about five hours." She grumbled.

"Yo' very welcome." He said, giving her a mock bow.

"You, Sir, are infuriating! Can you take this a little seriously? I'm on death row and you're making jokes! How the hell did I put up with you all night?" Rogue asked.

"Good question. I got this one. Hmm…" He held up his fingers and began ticking them off as he spoke, "My charm, my good looks, my understanding nature…"

"Grr! You are unbelievable. Damnit, which way is the hotel?" To say she was freaking out was an understatement.

"My _Chere?_" Gambit asked, holding out an elbow and gesturing to her right.

"I'm not holding your arm, Swamp rat, but you can lead the way." She growled.

He smiled and put his arm down. "Fair enough, River Rat."

About fifteen minutes later they were standing in front of her hotel room door. She was praying Logan was asleep and wouldn't notice her coming in. She searched her pockets for her key, and came up empty. "Damnit!" She hissed. Her shred of hope at not waking up Logan shriveled to a raisin.

Gambit held up a hand. "Allow me." He said, turning away form her toward the door lock. Suddenly the door clicked open.

"Wow, Gambit, that was amazing!" Rogue said.

"Thanks, I can unlock a hotel door in about thirty seconds, but you may be disappointed to find that I din' do dat." Gambit replied.

Rogue about died. She had seen many scary things in her life. Putting two boyfriends in a coma, captured by Magneto, watching Pyro go crazy… but none of those things compared with the face of evil looking at her and Gambit from the inside of the hotel room. A shirtless Logan was not a bad sight. A shirtless, pissed off Logan was so scary she entertained thoughts of running away.

As bravely as she could, she ran past Logan into her room, leaving him alone with Gambit. Logan's expression was like daggers. Well, daggers may be an understatement. It was more like an atomic bomb, ticking down. And the fact that Gambit just stood there, unapologetic with his hands in his pockets made it all worse.

Before the time bomb that was Logan could go off, Rogue was back with a pamphlet for the Institute. She handed it to Gambit.

"Here. Consider it. I think you might like it. We'd be happy to have you." She spared a glance at Logan, "Well, I'd be happy to have you. Even if you are a cocky jerk. Um…I guess this is goodb-"

She never got to finish as Logan slammed the door shut.

**A/N: Just one chapter left, and It'll be an epilogue. So I hope you've enjoyed this little story, and keep reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a month since her trip to New Orleans

It had been a month since her trip to New Orleans. A month without a word from him. And a month of punishment from Logan. And she still had another week left. As it was, she was currently busy scrubbing Logan's truck. For the fifth time that day.

Kitty was watching her and keeping her company. She had offered to help, but Logan had over heard and forbidden anyone to help her.

Rogue had long since forgiven Kitty, though Kitty still felt horrible about what had happened. In Rogue's opinion, the whole thing had been rather funny. She had come back from New Orleans to find Bobby with a black eye. When she had asked around, the story made her laugh like hell. Apparently, at the time of Bobby's little kiss, (which, Rogue found out, was a surprise to Kitty) Kitty and Piotr were already dating. When Piotr found out what Bobby had done, he had proceeded to give Bobby a black eye.

Unfortunately, Rogue hadn't been able to savor this information, as she had been on hard lock-down since they had gotten back. Logan had laid into her like nobody's business. She didn't think she had ever been in that much trouble. If she ever got to do anything again, she'd be lucky.

"So are you ever gonna tell us what you did to make Logan so pissed?" Kitty asked.

Rogue sighed, but didn't answer. Hell if anyone else besides her and Logan would ever know about what happened that night.

Speaking of Logan, he waltzed up behind her to appraise her work. "Not so easy, is it, kid? Maybe you should have been in at curfew instead of out runnin' around with some guy."

Kitty gasped and Rogue groaned. Now she would never hear the end of it. Logan knew it, too, which was why he was walking away. She had half a mind to throw her soapy sponge at his head.

"You stayed out past curfew with some strange guy?!" Kitty cried.

Rogue cringed. No escaping it now. "Yeah. But he was a cocky swamp rat and I would be content never to see him again."

Kitty just stared at her. She had never thought Rogue would be the kind to do something like that.

Suddenly Jubilee came running outside. "There's a new guy here! And guys, I'm telling you, he's a looker!"

"Hold on, Jubilee. I'm talking to Rogue about the guy she stayed out all night with." Kitty said.

Rogue wanted to die right there.

"You did what?!" Jubilee asked, going to stand next to Kitty.

"Here we go…" Rogue muttered.

"Well, come on! Spill! You have to tell us what went on!" Jubilee pressed.

Rogue put her sponge down. "It was nothing really. We talked, had a drink, and he took me back. That was it. I mean, he was a jerk. And we only kissed once." Rogue's hands flew to her mouth. She hadn't meant to tell them that much.

"What?" Cried Kitty and Jubilee together. "You kissed him? But how?" Was Kitty's question. Jubilee's was, "Was it good?"

Rogue's cheeks blazed. She put her soapy rag down and went inside through the garage, slamming the door behind her. It would be a while before she could face those two.

That damn man! The problems he had caused had followed her here. But at least he wasn't here, she told herself. Even though the truth was she actually wished he had been here. She tried to tell herself that she didn't really miss him. Talking to him, being with him in general.

She growled at herself in frustration. It was one night! She'd never see him again, and it was just better that way. She was on her way up the stairs when the doorbell rang. She ignored it and continued her ascent.

"Rogue, could you get that?" Storm asked, coming out of the kitchen, her hands laden with boxes.

"Yeah." Rogue sighed, shuffling down the stair to the door. She opened the door. "Welcome to the Xavier School." She said with less than enough enthusiasm. Then she looked up and gasped.

"Have you missed me, _Chere_?"

**A/N: Now you know you guys don't want to kill me because of this very short last chapter…..**

**So listen, I do have a reason that you shouldn't kill me….If you don't, I'll be writing a significantly longer sequel-like story to Xmen 3, still Rogue/Gambit centered. Let me be clear: it is NOT a sequel to this story. This story was just supposed to be a oneshot thing. However, after seeing all the support from reviews, I have decided to write a new fic, starting with Gambit and Rogue meeting again. (I just love that part!) It will be up soon, probably today, and If you like it, review. Thanks to everybody, and perhaps see you soon!**


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